Outcomes framework Theme narratives with case studies

© MLA April 2008 Introduction

Museums, libraries and archives make contributions to success across government agendas and deliver positive outcomes for communities. They provide public spaces for learning, positive activities and social encounters and play a vital role in place-shaping and in building strong and cohesive communities.

Stronger communities

Cultural and community-based activities build social capital and improve community cohesion. Museums, libraries and archives provide opportunities and spaces for people of all ages, races, faiths and social backgrounds to come together and engage in shared experiences. They are versatile places which are open to all and are used to meet the needs of local people. As such, they are hubs which symbolise community, learning and discovery.

Libraries can provide a forum for the discussion of community concerns which leads to increased civic participation, capacity building and empowerment. Community Archives and creative projects concerning history and exploration of identity can increase the sense of local distinctiveness and make people feel proud about and connected to the place in which they live. Local contribution to museum and archive collections increases the sense of ownerships and influence over services within the community.

Museums, libraries and archives work to help new and existing communities to integrate with one another. This can be achieved through oral history projects which recognise the diverse and ever-changing nature of British identity and through initiatives which offer local information and language classes. Libraries support the third sector to deliver positive outcomes for the communities which they represent through the provision of information and resources.

Case studies

Celebrating and exploring local identity and inviting community contribution to archives and exhibitions

- **Celebrating my family collections** (MLA East Midlands & Lincolnshire Heritage Services) – This project engaged local people in the planning and delivery of a local history exhibition through the development of a community project group, oral history recording and donation of objects. It included a health walk through the area on which the exhibition focused.
- **Where Are The Heroes?** (Borough of Poole Museum Service) – This project aimed to produce an accessible source of information on the men and women from the Poole area who died in the Second World War. The project involved local people in the creation and use of a web-based resource to motivate learning and participation from different sections of the community. • **Community Archives** – This website has been set up to show the variety and quantity of community archives in the UK. It's a place where archives can publicise their work and share their experiences. The website was launched in August 2006 by the Community Archive Development Group, a group of the National Council on Archives.

• **Veterans Reunited (Their Past, Your Future)** – This project was launched at the beginning of 2004 by the Big Lottery Fund to bring generations of people in the UK together to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. Veterans Reunited was made up of three strands: Heroes Return, Their Past Your Future, and Home Front Recall. The programme aimed to bring together different generations of people in the UK to explore, learn about, remember and commemorate the Second World War.

• **Picture Stockton** (Stockton reference library and museums service) – This project aimed to widen access through a website database of local history. It involved community contribution and interactive elements.

**Increasing understanding through engagement with people from different racial, religious and cultural backgrounds and through intergenerational activities**

• Refugee Week – Engaging Refugees and Asylum Seekers (Renaissance East Midlands) – Work was carried out with primary and secondary schools to increase understanding of refugee and asylum seekers’ experiences through poetry, mask making and a percussion workshop.

• **Their Past, Your Future** – This innovative learning programme encourages exploration of the impact and ongoing legacy of 20th Century conflict on people and places in the UK and around the world. All elements of the project aim to inspire people to learn about the impact of 20th century conflict, and discover why it is relevant now and in the future. There is a strong focus on developing meaningful contact between young people and veterans or eyewitnesses of conflict, and on utilising the resources of UK museum, libraries and archives.

• **Connecting Histories** (Birmingham City Archives) – Connecting Histories aimed to release the potential of archive collections so that connections could be made between the past and the present, encouraging debate about our shared identities, our common sense of belonging and our multiple heritages.

**Supporting the third sector to deliver outcomes for communities**

• Community Knowledge Networks Project (MLA London) – The aim of this project was to identify what role London’s network of public libraries should perform in order to meet the information and resource needs of local third sector organisations. Contributing to social cohesion by supporting the integration of new and existing communities

- **Welcome To Your Library** – This national project connects public libraries with refugees and asylum seekers. By increasing opportunities for participation, Welcome To Your Library aims to improve access to and quality of public library services for everyone.
- **Moving Here** (National Archives) - Moving Here explores, records and illustrates why people came to England over the last 200 years and what their experiences were and continue to be. It offers free access, for personal and educational use, to an online catalogue of versions of original material related to migration history and gives visitors to the site the opportunity to publish their own experience of migration.

Opportunities for volunteering and sharing of skills and knowledge

- Volunteering in Museums, Libraries and Archives - Report by the Institute for Volunteering Research which contains various case studies relating to volunteering in museums, libraries and archives.
- **I.T. Buddies** (Staffordshire Libraries) – This programme was part of the Lending Time project to encourage people to volunteer and share skills. Many of the clients were older people who wished to increase their digital literacy.

Engaging the community in the development and delivery of cultural activity to ensure an appropriate cultural offer and increase participation

- **New interpretations at Leighton House Museum - Revisiting Collections Project** (MLA London) - In 2005, Leighton House Museum took part in the Revisiting Collections project. Leighton House Museum’s artist in residence from July to November 2005, Karimah Bint Daoud, worked with the new interpretations not only to inform the creation of her own artwork and textiles but to illustrate to the visiting public and schools that all artifacts have multi-faceted stories to tell.

Safer communities

Cultural activities and facilities can contribute to a reduction in anti-social behaviour by providing opportunities for young people to participate in positive, diversionary activities. They can develop confidence and valuable skills from volunteering and becoming involved in the planning and delivery of local cultural services. Participation in culture can lead to interaction with people from other backgrounds, which can increase understanding and reduce the potential for conflict. Provision of positive activities which provide an alternative to crime and anti-social behaviour and bring people together

- **Street Life** (MLA East Midlands) – This wide-ranging programme aimed to engage young people with Northampton’s past and future through activities including film making, curating, a music competition and workshops using artefacts. The focus was on young people who had been excluded from mainstream schooling and came from one of the most deprived areas of the city.

- **Project Hero** – (MLA South East) – Project Hero involved the development of creative reader and writer development courses - with library, museum and YOI education resources and staff - for young offenders with basic skills needs.

Children and young people

Museums, libraries and archives contribute to formal and informal education for children and young people and offer a wide variety of innovative learning opportunities. Museums contribute to the delivery of the national curriculum and inspire learning by providing a connection to the past and a stimulating environment in which learning can take place. Libraries and archives are accessible sources of information, both digitally and in book form, and provide space for independent study for people of all ages.

Libraries in particular are important in the delivery of Early Years and family learning provision, such as **SureStart**, through activities like **Rhyme Time**. These types of programmes not only encourage a love of reading from an early age and work towards improving literacy, they also provide a social support network for parents and access to parenting information and advice. Libraries run a host of literacy programmes including as **Bookstart** and the **Summer Reading Challenge**.

Museums, libraries and archives provide a wide range of opportunities in terms of positive activities which engage young people. Volunteering leads to the development of new skills and can increase the sense of individual empowerment and active citizenship. Cultural and creative activities enable young people to meet people of different ages, religions and cultures and increase understanding and trust. They can also raise awareness about environmental issues and healthy living and encourage young people to take responsibility for their lifestyles. Case studies

Contributing to the 'Be Healthy' objective in *Every Child Matters* - Promoting healthy and sustainable lifestyles

- Learning Links Be Healthy Partnership between museums and schools (MLA South East) - This was a partnership project with Crawley Museum and two local schools. The main aim was to develop an ongoing partnership within which to produce resources and to explore new ways of approaching and enriching the curriculum. Domestic and agricultural collections were recognised for their potential to illuminate the Healthy Living theme.

Contributing to the 'Enjoy and Achieve' outcome in *Every Child Matters*. Inspiring learning. Supporting and delivering the National Curriculum. Supporting and providing opportunities for family learning. Developing skills outside of the curriculum.

Widening participation in cultural activities and learning. Improving literacy from Early Years upwards

- **Transformers** (Renaissance East of England Hub) – This project used non-science based museum collections as contexts for scientific exploration. Four museums worked with local schools.
- **Inspiring Science Project** (SEARCH and Royal Navy Submarine Museum, Gosport) – A Renaissance funded project involving local schools. It included the development of day trips exploring a submarine, family workshops in the school holidays and physical science lessons for schools. [SEARCH website](#)
- **Creative Minds Bradford Libraries STEM Cells out of school science club** – Libraries in regeneration areas were partnered with primary schools to deliver and after school club for KS2 students. Work included the production of resource packs, comics and the provision of a range of science based activities.
- **Bookstart** - This programme works through locally-based organisations to give a free pack of books to every baby, with guidance materials for parents and carers.
- **Right to Read 2001-2005** - The Paul Hamlyn Foundation set up the Right to Read Fund to get looked after children (LAC) and their carers excited about books and to ensure that libraries were reaching out to LAC and providing them with the tailored support they needed. Libraries were encouraged to work in partnership with Social Services, Children’s Services and Education Departments to develop long-term, sustainable strategies for engaging LAC with books and reading.
- **Project Hero** – (MLA South East) – Project Hero involved the development of creative reader and writer development courses - with library, museum and YOI education resources and staff - for young offenders with basic skills needs.
- **Early Years Family Days at Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens (Tyne and Wear Museums)** - During May 2007, two Early Years Family Days were offered during term time at Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens. Activities on offer included storytelling and song sessions, flower crafts and a special baby area. The families also had time to explore the museum. The majority of families had never visited the museum before with many pledging to return independently.

**Contributing to the ‘Make a Positive Contribution’ outcome in Every Child Matters** – Engaging children and young people in positive activities. Improving life skills and increasing confidence. Providing opportunities for interaction with people from different backgrounds and from different generations.

**Reducing crime and anti-social behaviour**

- **Street Life** (MLA East Midlands) – A wide ranging programme to engage young people with the town’s past and future, this project involved activities such as film making, curating, a music competition and workshops using artefacts.

**Adult health and well-being**

Museums, libraries and archives offer direct health benefits to individuals in the form of information provision, innovative projects such as bibliotherapy, books on prescription schemes and **Skilled for Health**, which incorporates health information in Skills for Life training. Reminiscence sessions and **Community Archives** activities are very useful for older people, who can benefit from links to the past for emotional well-being and support. Local services such as mobile libraries, housebound library services and social groups for older people can help to tackle isolation and improve community links.

Cultural and community activities are widely acknowledged to have indirect health benefits, for example, through activities which address the underlying determinants of health such as education and employment or the wellbeing and social capital generated by cultural participation. Health benefits can be built into projects with a different focus, for example, by including a ‘health walk’ combined with information about the history of the local area. The health benefits offered by libraries are set out in the Society of Chief Librarians’ Policy Statement on Public Libraries and Public Health.

**Case studies**

**Promoting healthy lifestyles through exhibitions and learning**

- **Young Idea Champions for Health** (Tower Hamlets Idea Stores) – This scheme will establish a resource of peer educators to promote healthy choices, building on the success of the Idea Champions project and linking to the health information service provided with local partners
- **Skilled for Health pilot project** - This is a joint Government and voluntary sector initiative which aims to improve both health and skills for life outcomes. It is designed for adults who would like to improve their health and well-being, while simultaneously developing their literacy, language or numeracy skills.

Healthy activities linked to museums, libraries and archives eg health walks as history tours

- **Celebrating my family collections** (MLA East Midlands & Lincolnshire Heritage Services) – This project engaged local people in the development of a local history exhibition through the development of a community project group, oral history recording and donation of objects. It included a health walk through the area on which the exhibition focused.

Outreach and social activities for older people which address isolation

- **Cornwall County Council Home Library Service** – This Home Library Service is designed to ensure that the housebound have access to books and all of the other resources available from the Library Service. Operated in partnership with Social Services and the Women’s Royal Voluntary Service, the service enables housebound people to decide what type of books they would like to read, and these are then chosen by either library staff in branches or WRVS volunteers, and delivered to them at home by the volunteers.

Reminiscence activities increase sense of well-being and connection with community

- **Reminiscence work (MLA East Midlands & Northampton Museum and Art Gallery)** – This was a partnership project working with Age Concern to deliver reminiscence sessions using Second World War artefacts and objects.
- **Celebrations and Life During the 1950s** (Cotswold District Council Museums Service) – This joint museum and library service project involved housebound older people and others in reminiscence and a linked exhibition. It reached out to older people who otherwise might be unable to access cultural services.
- **Reminiscence work: Words and Wings (MLA South East)** – Report entitled *Words and Wings* contains six case studies on reminiscence work.

Increasing well-being and having a positive impact on mental health

- **Books on Prescription** – West Sussex Library Service (MLA South East) – This is an innovative project in which GPs and other health practitioners may ‘prescribe’ a library book from an approved list for a patient with an emotional or psychological difficulty.

- **UCL Museums and Collections: Touch and the Value of Object Handling in Museums** - A series of workshops were conducted, investigating touch and the value of object handling in museums. Workshops in the series included: Supporting patient choice

- **Partnerships for Patients (P4P)** - A pilot project has been carried out in 10 public library authorities, co-ordinated by health advocacy and library organisations and endorsed by the culture, rural affairs and health ministries. The aim was to indicate whether libraries can be effective ‘agents of choice’ in their communities.

Tackling exclusion and promoting equality

Libraries play a key role in providing outreach and support services to vulnerable groups. Located at the centre of the community, they are well-placed to welcome previously disengaged groups, such as homeless and vulnerably housed people. Literacy and other learning schemes for looked after children can make use of spaces and resources on offer and reminiscence sessions for older people can provide creative stimulation and increase the sense of well-being. Housebound and mobile library services can act as a social lifeline for those who are not able to travel.

The sector also works to help new and existing communities to integrate with one another and engages people from backgrounds in positive cultural experiences. Examples of work involving with diverse ethnic groups and with new communities can be found in the stronger communities section. Examples of projects which tackle the social exclusion of older people can be found in the adult health and well-being section.

Supporting and delivering positive outcomes for people from vulnerable groups

- **Opening the Doors (London Libraries Development Agency)** – This project aims to improve access to books, reading and library services for homeless and vulnerably housed people. The project will work by encouraging mainstream library services in a number of London boroughs to consider the needs of homeless and vulnerably housed people.
- **Cornwall County Council Home Library Service** - This Home Library Service is designed to ensure that the housebound have access to books and all of the other resources available from the Library Service. Operated in partnership with Social Services and the Women’s Royal Voluntary Service, the service enables housebound people to decide what type of books they would like to read, and these are then chosen by either library staff in branches or WRVS volunteers, and delivered to them at home by the volunteers.
- **Cracking Open Culture: Imagined Lives (MLA South East)** - A partnership project providing opportunities for looked-after children to engage with archive collections • **Right to Read 2001-2005** - The Paul Hamlyn Foundation set up the Right to Read Fund to get looked after children (LAC) and their carers excited about books and to ensure that libraries were reaching out to LAC and providing them with the tailored support they needed. Libraries were encouraged to work in partnership with Social Services, Children’s Services and Education Departments to develop long-term, sustainable strategies for engaging LAC with books and reading.

• Reminiscence work: Words and Wings (MLA South East) – Report entitled *Words and Wings* contains six case studies on reminiscence work.

**Local Economy**

The development of adult skills and the progression into education and employment which they enable are vital components of economic development. Libraries are an accessible, non-stigmatised location for the delivery of basic skills and language courses and provide support for people seeking employment. They provide study materials and access to information, advice and guidance about local learning opportunities. Museums, libraries and archives house stimulating materials and exhibits which can inspire people to learn. Libraries provide information and support for small and medium size businesses (SMEs) and the self-employed.

The sector plays an important role in place-shaping and the building of sustainable communities. Cultural facilities are an important element of creating and maintaining high quality places in which people want to live and work. Vibrant places attract new businesses and contribute to local growth and regeneration. Tourists, both domestic and foreign, bring in money and employment opportunities. Renaissance in the Regions is providing funding to large, city-based museums which will draw visitors and increase cultural value. Museums, libraries and archives can also work to raise awareness of environmental sustainability issues.

**Case studies**

**Improving adult skills including Life Skills, Basic Skills and digital literacy and supporting Lifelong Learning**

• **I.T. Buddies** (Staffordshire Libraries) – This programme was part of the Lending Time project to encourage people to volunteer and share skills. Many of the clients were older people who wished to increase their digital literacy.

• **BITS for All** (Black Country Libraries in Partnership) – This was a partnership libraries project between four local authorities which helped older people and speakers of other languages to gain better access to ICT provision and to develop digital skills.

• **Basic Skills provision** (MLA London) – Report entitled *Londoners Need to Read* contains evidence and multiple case studies.

• **eye2eye: the visually impaired IT project** (Portsmouth City Libraries) – This project was the winner of *Libraries Change Lives* award in 2003. Recognising the need for basic computer skills tuition tailored to the needs of visually impaired people in the area, Portsmouth libraries set up an IT training suite with adapted software at the central library and offered free and supportive IT classes for visually impaired people. These sessions were run by blind members of staff with skills in IT who are proactive members of the local visually impaired community.

- **Opening the Doors (London Libraries Development Agency)** – This project aims to improve access to books, reading and library services for homeless and vulnerably housed people. The project will work by encouraging mainstream library services in a number of London boroughs to consider the needs of homeless and vulnerably housed people.

- **Skilled for Health pilot project** – This is a joint government and voluntary sector initiative which aims to improve both health and skills for life outcomes. It is designed for adults who would like to improve their health and well-being, while simultaneously developing their literacy, language or numeracy skills.

- **Manchester Libraries: Lifelong Libraries project** - The Lifelong Libraries Project delivers access to IT learning in libraries for Manchester residents with low IT skills. It aims to engage those from priority groups and encourage progression into formal learning.

- **World Class Skills: How libraries can help (DCMS)** – This document contains information about how libraries contribute to the World Class Skills agenda and includes case studies on:

  - Westminster Church Street Library
  - Cambridgeshire Library Learndirect Centres
  - Vital Link Six Book Challenge
  - Words in the Workplace (Manchester libraries)

**Information and support for businesses**

- **Enterprise Edge (Cornwall)** – This partnership project provides business information to enable new businesses to launch effectively and existing businesses to develop to their full potential.

**Tourism and place-shaping**

- **Insite: The Essex Cultural Tourism Programme** – This programme has commissioned, promoted and supported a series of initiatives celebrating areas and sites across the county of Essex in a contemporary and innovative way. Empowering people to celebrate their unique identity, Insite aimed at raising the profile of Essex, challenging perceptions of the county, and promoting it as a vibrant place to live, work and visit.

- **Living Places** – The Living Places Prospectus contains information on how culture can contribute to the prosperity of an area and shape the positive identity of places. Living Places is the partnership between the Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG), the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the regional cultural consortia, Arts Council England, the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE), English Heritage, the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) and Sport England that arose from the joint agreement on culture and Sustainable Communities. The joint agreement commits all partners to recognising the role of culture in building Sustainable Communities, and to working together to achieve this. Current news, developments and information on our activities are available to view or download from our website.

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